Kiss of the Wolf
by buried in shadows
Summary: A muggle girl's world is changed forever after being bitten by a werewolf on the Hogwart's grounds. Taken to St. Mungo's she is exposed to the wizarding world. Now, knowing that magic exists, how can she go back to the world she is truly from?
1. A Lifechanging Night

**I**

Zoe shot a glance at the darkening sky overhead. The faint outline of the full moon could just be seen in the russet sky. Shivering slightly in the brisk October wind, she pulled her jacket a little tighter round her shoulders. The coolness of the wind caused her teeth to chatter and fingers to become numb.

_"Its already bad enough that I had detention," _she thought bitterly, _"but having to walk home as well..."_

Her thought was interrupted as she let out a cry of frustration and switched her book bag from one arm to the other. Her high school was eleven miles away from her home. Normally, when the final bell rung at four in the afternoon, Zoe would have taken the bus home. However, being put in detention for two hours on the grounds of insubordination had caused her to miss it. When her teacher finally let her leave, the sun had already started to set. Unfortunately for Zoe, this meant that she would have to walk the eleven miles home, the last five of which was mainly encompassed of woods.

McKenna Manor, Zoe's home, was located in the middle of nowhere. Isolated by one hundred acres of woods, the nearest village was eleven miles away. Zoe was greatly dreading her arrival at home. She knows what will happen when she gets home. Her mother, a stern and society-loving woman, would be standing in her designer robe just off of the stairs. A sick sweet smile would be plastered on her face until Zoe, who would have probably came back around two in the morning, closed the door. Then, all hell would break loose. Her mom would yell for a bit about what time it is and why she came home on foot and why she didn't call. Soon, she would wear herself out and then announce that she was going to bed. Her father, however, would remain stony and silent until her mum had gone to bed then he would take a cane out of the hall closet and give Zoe one or two good whips on the knees and back. Then he would leave her there, withering in pain and that would be the end of it.

Just off of the estate, the woods grew thicker and not many dared venture in. Huge hills presented a daunting task for anyone wishing to climb them. Zoe, being an only child, had grown up here. Always being a bit adventurous, she had explored much of the surrounding terrain and was not easily lost. Not much was hidden in the forest, but on top of one hill rested a castle. It was centuries old, and was in a terrible state. Zoe doubted that anyone had visited it in the last decade, as the forest around it had grown so thick that she had a hard time getting through it.

A few drops of rain splashed on Zoe's nose, causing her to jump out of her thoughts. She quickly looked up towards the sky. The sky was no longer light; it had turned into a great swirl of clouds that loomed darkly over her head. A few more drops fell, then came a torrent of water from the clouds above. Zoe dug into her bag, hoping desperately to find her umbrella so that she can walk the next six miles dry. Sadly, she remembered that it had gotten stolen earlier during the week. She continued to dig further and found a small flashlight, which she took out and switched on.

As the ruins of the old castle came into view, the rain pounded down harder. The closest Zoe had ever gotten to them was a clearing where the forest became thicker. The sky had darkened so that now the only real light was that of the moon. Zoe's flashlight started to flicker slightly and she sighed. She glanced once more at the castle. No matter what shape it was in, it would at least provide some sort of shelter. Besides, it would delay being punished. Deciding to take shelter in the castle, Zoe made her way off the dirt path and through the woods.

An hour later, she came to a clearing. Up ahead, the forest grew thicker, as expected. She battled her way through it, hearing dreadful noises as she went. Finally, the forest took a turn and she found herself at the bottom of the huge hill. As she climbed, she found her progress limited by the nagging thought that she was missing a terribly important appointment. A tiny voice rationalized this in the back of her head.

_"What appointment?"_ It said. _"An appointment to be beaten for being late maybe, but that's all your are really missing."_

Eventually, wet and exhausted, Zoe reached the top. The castle loomed in the distance. A huge lake stood off to the left side of the grounds, while the dark forest she had left only a short while ago was to the right. A mild dash across the otherwise open grounds and she would be safe. Zoe pulled off her glasses and tried desperately to clean the rain off of them. So far, she had managed well but now it seemed as if everything had gone terribly blurry despite the rain. Zoe replaced them on her face and began to trudge across the sloppy grounds towards the ruins. Staying close to the forest, (She had had enough water for one night.), she found herself fighting the horrible thought that she was missing a terribly important appointment. She felt as if she was being torn in half. One part of her was trying to get her to go back, while the other was pushing her forward. Halfway across the grounds, a wolf's howl caused her to pause. It had sounded close, and Zoe's heart kicked up a notch.

She started to walk faster, shooting glances over her shoulder as she went. Now she could hear twigs and bushes snapping in the woods adjacent to her. As the noise became closer and closer, she broke into a run. Suddenly, something looking very much like a huge dog jumped on her from inside the woods. She screamed as she fell to the ground. It snarled viciously, claws digging into her clothes and flesh. Zoe's screams became louder as she fought more desperately to get the horrible thing off of her. She pounded at any visible part of it with her fists, but made little progress as it seemed to be made of muscle, bone, fur and teeth. At one point, she managed to grab hold of her book bag, which had fallen to the ground when she had fallen. But as she swung to hit the beast with it, the creature lunged and sank its teeth deep into her upper arm. Once again she screamed. She was going to die out here, she just knew it.

"_At least you wont have to face your mum and dad," _said the voice in the back of her head.

Zoe made one last attempt to stand, but failed, falling on her wrist which emitted a loud crack. Pain spread through her other arm and confusion filled her thoughts. The creature made towards her again, ready to finish her off, to sever her jugular vein, when...

"IMPEDIMENTA!"

A voice resounded across the grounds, cutting through the slight roar of the rain. A ray of red light shot over her head and hit the creature, which howled and fell limply to the ground. Zoe couldn't think or see, her glasses had fallen off and everything was blurred. But...no...it couldn't be...she could see a great more deal of light then she could before. Almost as if the castle had lighted up. But that idea was insane. Only one other option then.

"_I am dying," _she thought, moaned, "_And now I am walking towards the light."_

This didn't appear to be right either as a few seconds later she heard the pounding of footsteps, the worried murmuring of a voice and then...nothing at all.

**II**

Minerva McGonagall couldn't remember when she had had a worse day. It might have been that day, six years back, when the Weasley twins had set the Gryffindor common room ablaze, but she highly doubted it. As she made her way down the steps of the main staircase, she grumbled to Professor Flitwick about the newest addition to the staff, Professor Dolores Umbridge.

"That women is the worst," she said, "today, she suggested to me that I might be getting too old to teach Transfiguration as a Ministry consensus revealed that no other school had a teacher over thirty."

"Indeed, she is. Don't mind her though," Professor Flitwick squeaked.

"Really. Hogwarts High Inquisitor. Who ever heard of such nonsense? I don't know who she is trying to fool, everyone knows that it is just a way for the Ministry to interfere with Hogwarts business. And her ideas of punishment! A few of my students have complained that she..." McGonagall dropped her voice to a whisper, "uses a Blood Ink Quill."

Flitwick let out a slight gasp. "Weren't those outlawed at Hogwarts?"

"Since before I was a student here."

"I remember using one once by accident. Nasty bit of work, those are." Flitwick cringed slightly at the memory and unconsciously rubbed his left hand.

" I really wish Albus would just stand up to the Ministry. But he refuses to, says that it is not his way and..." She broke off and turned towards the entrance hall door. "Did you hear that?"

Flitwick, too, turned and craned his ear. "Yes. It...sounds like someone screaming."

McGonagall listened again as another scream rang faintly in the hall. Flitwick and her exchanged glances. She ran the last bit towards the door, flung it open and ran as fast as she could. At first she couldn't see anything but as the moon passed from under the clouds, things became clearer. A girl was on the ground being attacked by what looked like a wolf.

"IMPEDIMENTA!" she shouted, flinging her arm towards where the attack was happening. A red beam shot out of the end of her wand and hit the thing squarely between the shoulders. It howled and fell limply to the ground. McGonagall ran towards the girl, hurrying for she knew she had limited time. The Impediment Curse did not last long and the thing would be up and about soon. The girl's face was ashen white, mixed with diluted red where blood had been drawn. Her hair was matted and her side was bleeding badly.

"Stupefy," McGonagall muttered. The sooner she could get the girl inside, the better and if she had to stun her to do it then oh well. "Mobilicorpus." The girl's body became bound to hers as if by invisible strings. As McGonagall trudged towards the castle, she could hear the wolf groaning slightly. But by the time it had fully regained consciousness she would be inside. The light from the entrance hall flooded the path as the door opened. McGonagall could see Dumbledore framed in the doorway, Flitwick bobbing at his side.

As McGonagall reached the doorway, Dumbledore raised his wand and allowed the girl to fall into his arms. A crimson stain slowly spread up his robe sleeve. He took one look down at the girl and then back at McGonagall.

"Madam Pomfrey will be unable to heal these injuries," he said quietly.

"Albus?" McGonagall asked but did not finish as the unspoken question passed between them. She nodded and turned towards Flitwick. "Alert St. Mungo's that the girl's condition is grave."

Dumbledore marched towards his office, McGonagall walking at his side. "She's watching the Floo," he said simply as he reached his office. "Even mine. She must not know that a muggle was inside Hogwarts." All around his office, various paintings were springing to life. They began to question Albus, but a stern look from McGonagall silenced them. Dumbledore moved towards Fawkes and gently grabbed his tail. "We need to hurry." In a flash of fire... man, phoenix and girl, disappeared.


	2. Bad Memories

III

It was after twelve o'clock when Remus Lupin emerged from his room at 12 Grimmauld Place. He walked slowly down the dusty stairs, limping slightly as he went, and turned into the basement kitchen. The previous night had been the full moon, a bad night in general for Remus. The Wolfsbane Potion that he usually took had hardly worked and he had woken up with a broken leg and wounds over most of his body. He had mended his leg the best he could, and left the wounds to heal on their own.

Remus walked into the kitchen and took a seat at the long wooden table. Sirius lay opposite him, passed out with a bottle of Oldgen's Old Firewhiskey clutched in his hand. Normally, Remus would have woken his friend up but today he lacked the strength to do so. He turned in his seat and caught a glimpse of himself in a nearby pot. His skin was pale and there were huge bags under his dark brown eyes. Despite this, and the fact that he had a huge scratch across his face, he was pleased with his appearance. He had looked much worse in the past. He had started to get up to make a cup of tea when a single flame burst above the table and a letter floated down, accompanied by a single red feather.

"Fawkes," he said simply, taking the letter and opening it. He recognized Dumbledore's handwriting immediately and started to read.

Remus,

Go to St. Mungo's as soon as possible. Ward thirteen, 1st floor. Send word as soon as you arrive. I will explain later.

Remus frowned, noted the important information and set the letter on fire with the tip of his wand. The ashes collected on the table and then vanished with a wave of his wand. For a moment, he wondered if an Order member has fallen, but no…Dumbledore would have said so. He got to his feet and walked in back of Sirius. He raised his wand and poked Sirius sharply in the ribs with it. Sirius yelled and jumped up.

"What the bloody hell do you think your doing, Remus?" he asked, half yelling in shock.

"You're getting like Mundungus, Padfoot," Remus said, using Sirius's childhood name. "I have to go to St. Mungo's. Dumbledore's orders."

The drunken stupor vanished from Sirius' face and he immediately looked alert.

"Is it Harry? Is something wrong with Harry?" he started towards the door, causing Remus to promptly pull him back.

"It's not Harry, or any other member of the Order. I don't know who it is, just that I am to go to St. Mungo's." He looked Sirius in the eye. "And do you really think that if Harry were injured, Dumbledore would send the letter to me? Use your head, Sirius."

Sirius grumbled a reply and returned to the table.

"Tonks and Kingsley will be 'round for dinner tonight," Remus said as he crossed the room, and grabbed a cloak from a peg on the wall. Sirius waved a hand and Remus left the house. When Remus had reached the center of Grimmauld Place, he looked around quickly, thought 'St.Mungo's' and disapparated.

He apparated in the waiting room of St. Mungo's. Almost immediately, he was knocked over by a large wizard with three more arms than usual.

"Sorry, mate," the man said, using one arm to lift Remus to his feet while still hurrying forward.

Remus straightened his patched robes and started forwards towards the stairwell. As he walked up the steps, he noticed a large sign which listed the various purpose of each level. The first floor was dedicated to Magical Creature injuries. Remus sighed, memories from the past flooding his thoughts.

_He was five and sitting in a bed on the 1st floor. His side hurt terribly and he couldn't understand why his parents were so upset, why some of the healers were looking at him as if he were dirty. More importantly, he couldn't understand why he felt so sick. After all, it was only a dog that had bit him, wasn't it…_

"Sir?"

A voice jerked Remus back to reality and he spun around.

"Sir, are you looking for someone?"

It was a witch, dressed in lime green robes with the crossed bone and wand. She was looking at Remus carefully.

"Oh yes. I need to find ward thirteen," he said, trying to make his hoarse voice co-operate.

"Third door on the left. Healer O'Riley is in charge of that ward. But I can't understand why you would want to go down there. There's…"

"Thank you for your help," Remus interrupted. The healer had taken on a nasty tone and he didn't like it. If this unknown person held the attention of someone like Albus Dumbledore, than they deserved no more than the utmost respect. The healer shot him a nasty look and proceeded down the hallway. Remus started walking down the hallway and eventually came to the door to ward thirteen. A brass plate outside read 'Intensive Care, Healer In-Charge: Denis O'Riley.' He took a deep breath and pushed open the door, not knowing what to expect.

The room was dark and had a strong smell of pine trees. A bed was positioned in the corner of the room and was occupied by a girl. Remus approached the bed slowly and saw that the girl appeared to be asleep. He looked around for any sign of who she may be, but there was none. Remembering what Dumbledore had said about sending word that he had arrived, he walked over to the corner of the room and pulled a long chain from the neck of his robes. At the end was a small mirror. He held it in front of his face and whispered 'Albus Dumbledore.' Almost immediately, Dumbledore's face appeared in the mirror.

"Ah, you have arrived," the old man said, his face grave.

"Yes, but Professor…" Even after all these years, Remus could not bring himself to call his former teacher by his first name.

"You want to know who she is. When she is ready, she will tell you. She is a muggle, bitten last night by a werewolf on the Hogwarts grounds."

Remus felt a wave of pity for this unknown girl. "What was she doing at Hogwarts?"

"I do not know. The healers, of course, wish to heal her and wipe her memory. But I sense that there is more to this than we know." He sighed and Remus could see that he looked tired. "I have a theory, Remus. One that I will tell you later, when I am sure. But for right now, I wish you to act as her guardian. Healer O'Riley knows that I am the one who brought her in and is eager to wipe her memory. You must not let this happen," he said firmly.

"Of course, Professor," Remus said at once.

"If anything happens, Remus, do not hesitate to contact me."

Remus nodded, raised his wand and tapped the mirror, severing the connection. He shifted his gaze back to the sleeping girl. A thick bandage had been wrapped around her left arm and her entire middle section. Her skin had taken on a greenish color and she was moaning slightly. Remus started to step closer when the door opened and a heavy-set red-haired man entered the room.

"Sir, this is a private ward," the man said, irritably. "You must leave at once."

"I am the acting guardian for this girl," Remus said evenly. "Remus Lupin, and you are?"

"Healer O'Riley. I am in charge of the muggle." He stared at Remus, clearly noting how tired he looked. "Lupin…I've heard that name before."

"Hmm, I don't think so," Remus said quickly. "What do you know about the girl's condition?"

"Oh, the standard case . She was bitten by a werewolf last night, brought in by the headmaster of Hogwarts and has been unconscious ever since. She had a broken wrist and fractured ankle, along with multiple bites and scratches to the body. I've treated the wrist and ankle and have wrapped the bites. Of course, they will take longer to heal. She will need to take a blood replenishing potion every day just to make sure." O'Riley walked over to the bed and looked at the girl. "If I had my way, as soon as she wakes up I'd perform a memory charm and send her on her way. Let someone else deal with her. But Albus Dumbledore wants her to remain here, to be told of her…condition," he sneered.

"So there is no doubt that the curse has indeed been passed on to her?" Remus asked, choosing his words carefully and trying to hide his dislike for the healer.

"Oh she's a werewolf, alright. Already the characteristic signs have appeared. The bites are slow to heal, and she is getting sick." O'Riley watched Remus carefully. "The first thing to change is the immune system. She's trying to fight off the curse but will be unable too. For the next month, she will slowly change, until the full moon when the curse is complete."

Remus watched the girl, who had not moved. "So she will suffer too," he muttered quietly.

"Huh? D'ya say something?"

"Nothing. I was just talking to myself." He walked towards the bed and sat on the edge.

"Right…well, I need to go on my rounds. Should you need anything, just give a shout down the hallway." O'Riley left the room.

Remus raised his eyebrows but said nothing and concentrated on the girl. His feeling of pity towards the girl had intensified. To be bitten by a werewolf was horrible, as he knew, but to be a muggle as well! The Wolfsbane Potion wouldn't be available to her as it had to him. He got to his feet, conjured up a chair that positioned itself against the far wall, and settled in for a long wait.

IV

The first thing Zoe thought when she woke up was that she had died. She could see nothing but blackness all around her and could concentrate only on the pain that seemed to be radiating from her arm.

_No, you're being stupid, _she thought suddenly._ Look, already you can see shapes._

And indeed her eyes had adjusted enough so that she could see she was in a small room, lying on a bed. The only other objects in the room were a chair and its occupant. A man was asleep in the chair.

_Good thing. He looks like he hasn't slept in years, _she noted to herself. She tried to push herself to a sitting position in order to see better, but was pushed back to the bed with a mixed wave of pain and nausea. Zoe moaned involuntarily.

The man jumped to his feet and looked around. When he saw that Zoe had woken, his expression became one of worry and he started to walk towards the bed. Zoe pushed herself to a sitting position, fighting through the pain to form a coherent thought.

"I'm sorry if I disturbed you, sir. I will be on my way in a few moments," she said, trying to keep her voice from shaking.

The man watched her for a second, reached out and put a hand on her shoulder. "No. Sit," He said hoarsely, gently pushing her back down again.

The man appeared to be quite young, though his brown hair was flecked with gray and he looked ill. He was tall and his clothes hung on his body as if he had recently lost weight. His clothes were strange but looked very similar to the clothes that her parents wore whenever they left for London.

Another wave of nausea hit Zoe and she groaned. The man's worried expression grew deeper and this startled Zoe. Never had anyone been worried for her. Her parents couldn't care less about her, so this expression had never appeared on their faces. She found herself staring at the man and looked away.

"Sir," she tried again when the nausea had passed. "Where am I?"

The man hesitated before answering in the same hoarse tone as before. "You are in St. Mungo's Hospital in London. You were brought in two days ago."

Zoe had never heard of St. Mungo's…indeed she had never been to London. She struggled to remember the last time she had been awake.

"Apparently, you had a broken wrist and fractured ankle as well as multiple other injuries. Do you remember what happened?"

She started to shake her head then paused. "Wait. I do…some of it, I mean. I was walking home and it started to rain. So I decided to head for the castle ruins to take shelter. I'd never been up there before so imagine my surprise when I see that the castle is not in ruins at all. And there were lights coming out of the castle. But anyways, halfway across the grounds, I was attacked but…" She looked at Remus and, for the first time, met his eyes. "I don't know by what."

The man nodded and looked away. "My name is Remus Lupin. I am your er…guardian during your stay at St. Mungo's."

Zoe's eyes widened. "You make it seem as if my stay will be for an extended period of time. I'm not too badly injured. I mean, my ankle and wrist are…" she stopped and looked at her wrist, which bore no sign of even having been broken. "Healed," she said slowly. She furrowed her brows and stared at Remus.

At that moment a red-haired man walked into the room. Zoe shifted her gaze to him and saw that he was wearing the same type of clothes as Remus, though his were bright green.

"So you're up, then," the man said, sneering at her. "It's about time. _Accio_ Potion." A flask filled with an evil looking red liquid floated into the room. Zoe yelped and brought her knees to her chest.

"Its…it's floating!" She looked from the bottle to Remus and back again.

The other man shot her a dirty look and muttered "Muggles," he said before approaching Zoe. "Drink this. All of it." He handed her the flask.

Zoe looked at it and then drank it down, gagging as it went. "Horrible," she said as she handed the bottle back to the man.

"I'm healer O'Riley. I'm in charge of your health while you are here. Ask me any questions right now, because I have rounds to go on."

Zoe hesitated. "What is this place? What are you and him?" She pointed towards Remus.

"This is St. Mungo's, girl, hospital for Magical Maladies and Ailments. We are wizards. Yes…magic does exist, and yes, there are more of us. So get over it," O'Riley snapped.

Zoe raised an eyebrow and continued on. "What happened to me?"

"Didn't he tell you? You were attacked by a werewolf, girl. You were bitten in three places and there are scratches all over your body as well as a broken wrist and ankle which I have already healed. As the curse has been passed, the bites will take a little longer to heal. You might be here for another couple weeks, depending on how bad the symptoms are. But, I'm sure that we will have you home before the full moon." He smirked.

"C-curse? The full moon?" She was stunned and could barely breathe, let alone speak. The frankness in the healer's voice was unbearable. "You've got to be kidding me. Werewolves don't exist."

"I assure you, they do." Remus's voice broke through her thoughts. She turned and looked at him but before she could ask him how he knew, the healer butted in.

"Look, muggle, your feel naucious, right? Sick to your stomach and the like? The first symptom. After this, your vision changes, what you can eat, your mood, and everything else. So, you're a werewolf now. Your life has changed. You can either deal with it, or sink under it. It's your choice." The healer shot her another look and left the room.


	3. An Unexpected Discovery

V

Remus had listened in shock as the healer had talked. He would have thought that the man would have been a bit more gentle when he told her. But O'Riley had just come out with all of it. Certainly not the method that he would have chosen. Remus looked down at Zoe, who had gone quite pale and looked frozen.

"Miss McKenna? Are you alright?" He moved closer to the bed so that he could face her.

"I must be dreaming," she whispered. "Yes, that's it. I'm dreaming. You're a dream, that man was a dream and this whole thing's not real." She was shaking and looked like she was going to pass out.

"Zoe," he started to say but she turned away from him and put her face in her hands.

Remus stepped outside of the room and contacted Dumbledore through the mirror. "Her name is Zoe McKenna. She has just been told about her condition and is taking it as well as can be expected."

Dumbledore frowned and a thought suddenly crossed Remus' mind. _He looks ill._ "This is sooner that I would have thought. However, sometimes, what is in the past cannot be undone. Stay with her."

"Should I…tell her?"

"The decision is up to you, Remus." Dumbledore's face disappeared and Remus sighed.

For some, the decision to share with the girl that he was a werewolf, to share his knowledge about how life was with the condition would be an easy one. For Remus, it was not. His entire life had been spent trying to keep this secret from people. He had lost job after job because of his condition. Even now, he would have been homeless except for the fact that Sirius had extended his home to Remus. He fought with telling her about the terrible changes, the after effects of the full moon and being shunned by almost every type of wizard.

He took a breath and re-entered the ward. Zoe was still sitting up but it looked as if each second was taking an incredible amount of energy.

"I believe you," she said finally. "I feel different and I can't explain it. I just…what exactly does this all mean?"

Remus turned away from her to face the wall, knowing that his look of self-disgust would only alarm her. He hated talking about even the concept of lycanthropy. "It means that every full moon, you will change into a werewolf. A mindless creature that's only thought is to kill. Its bite is only dangerous to humans, and the presence of other animals will calm it down." He paused and smiled at the memory of running with James and Sirius.

"Is there a cure?"

"No. There is one potion, the Wolfsbane Potion that is available for wizards. It allows the person to keep their mind when they change. So in a sense, the person has assumed the shape of a normal wolf. Though the bloodlust is gone, the bite of the wolf will still pass on the curse."

Zoe made no reply and when Remus turned around; he found that she had fallen asleep.

The next week and a half, Zoe remained in the hospital. Remus spent most of each day at St. Mungo's, leaving only at nights to return to Grimmauld Place. During this time, Remus had found that Zoe was an avid reader and a fast learner. As she grew stronger, she was able to sit up for longer periods of time. Remus brought several of his old schoolbooks for Zoe to read. Within a matter of days, she had read both his first and second year potion's books and could recite back to him the steps involved in making certain potions. Occasionally, they would both sit and read, with Remus stopping to watch her.

Over the past couple of days, Remus had found himself quite taken with the girl. At seventeen years old, she was opinionated but amazingly level-headed. He could remember back to when he had been seventeen. The girls at school had still been rather giggly. Zoe was anything but. She was regaining her strength and the color was returning to her skin. The only really noticeable difference in her was that her formerly grey eyes were slowly turning golden brown.

She would sometimes ask him questions about things in the books he gave her. He told her about growing up with a muggle father and a witch mother. He had told her about Sirius and James, how James and his wife had been murdered, and how their young son, Harry, had proved to be the wizarding world's greatest hero. Zoe would sometimes contribute in with facts of her own, but still, after all this time spent together, Remus hardly knew anything about her. He knew that she had an older brother who was ten years older than her and had gone away to a private school. That she was the first girl to be born to the McKenna family in a century, and as a result was the shame of the family. Her parents did not like her and spent much of their time in London. When she disobeyed or was late for any reason, she was beaten. After a few moments of talking about her family, however, she would become agitated and would stop speaking.

On the 9th day, Remus ended up finally telling her about his condition. She had once again asked him to explain how the Wolfsbane Potion worked and he let the fatal words slip out of his mouth.

"I find that is allows me to curl up in a corner and sleep the night away, a harmless wolf." He instantly regretted saying this. For a moment, it appeared that Zoe had missed what he had said, but then she turned to him, eyebrows raised.

"Care to share something with me?" she said, though her tone was not accusatory.

He didn't respond for a moment, simply stared at the floor, struggling with himself.

"Remus, it's only me." She looked hurt. "I'm not exactly in a position to judge you."

"You must understand that I was bitten when I was very young. For much of my life, I have been hiding my condition from everyone. It has cost me relationships and several jobs, as no one wants to associate or hire a werewolf."

"Except for your friends and Albus Dumbledore, of course," she pointed out, and Remus smiled.

"Yes, except for them. After I was first bitten, my parents tried everything. Back then, there was no such thing as the Wolfsbane Potion. It is a relatively new development and only a few qualified wizards are up to making it. As I am a dismal potion maker, Severus Snape at Hogwarts has had to make my potion each month. My transformations were horrible back in those days." He sighed.

"Remus," she said softly, "It's going to be terrible, isn't it? Already I feel…weird. There are times when I get so angry over the littlest things. I've never had a temper this bad." Her voice lowered. "Sometimes, it's almost as if I can feel the wolf lingering at the back of my mind." Her expression became worried and she turned away, leaving Remus feeling terribly awkward.


	4. Never Let Mundungus Drive

VI

On the 12th day after being bitten, Zoe left St. Mungo's. It was a day that she had been both anticipating as well as dreading. She was eager to be out of the small ward, to see something other than the four dark paneled walls. However, leaving would also mean the end of being with Remus. She grown extremely fond of him over the last week. Leaving him would be horrible.

The morning she was to leave, Remus arrived later than usual dressed in normal clothing. Or at least as normal as a tattered coat and threadbare jumper could get. He smiled warmly when he entered.

"Ready to go home?"

Zoe sighed. "I guess." She grabbed her backpack (which had been magically cleaned of its bloodstains) and started towards the door. Remus extended his arm and they left the room. As they were walking down the stairs he started to tell her about his friend James's wedding. Zoe had heard many of these stories during her stay at the hospital, but she enjoyed them. It was nice to know that wizards weren't entirely different from muggles.

They stopped in front of a blank wall and Remus stopped speaking. "Step through," he instructed. Zoe raised an eyebrow and looked at him.

"Trust me," he replied, smiling slightly.

Zoe let her eyes linger on him for a few moments. Then she took a deep breath and walked through the wall. For a moment, she could see nothing. A wooshing sound filled her ears and then she stumbled out onto the street. Almost immediately after, a large crowd of shoppers shoved past her, muttering about 'today's delinquient youth'. Zoe looked down at her clothes, which had been cleaned, but were still torn in several places. She frowned, started to turn around to find Remus and then jumped when she felt a hand on her shoulder. Remus had appeared behind her.

"Wow," she muttered. "That was wicked."

They started walking and Remus finished his story.

"How exactly are we going to get me back home?" She asked after a while.

"Ah, well, you see, I have an acquaintance who has managed to get hold of a car. See, that's him." He pointed up the street towards where a man was leaning against a car. He was dressed in lurid green robes and was attracting stares from many passerby.

"Right," Zoe replied, a bit warily. She wondered if the man had ever been in a car, much less driven one before. When they reached the car, the man held out his hand.

"The name's Mundungus Fletcher. And you'll be Zoe, then?"

"Yeah." She shook his hand and then looked back at the car. "Have you ever driven one of these before?"

"Oh sure. Loads of times. Don't you worry about it. Ill see to it that you get home right safe." He grinned and pulled out a pipe, which he lit with the tip of his wand.

"Not on the street, Mundungus," Remus whispered harsly. Mundungus made a face and put away his wand.

"Well, lets go then." His pipe let off a puff of green smoke that smelled horrible. He walked around the side of the car and got into the drivers side. Remus pulled open the door for Zoe, before getting in the passengers side.

Mundungus turned on the ignition, stepped on the gas and shot forward at, what seemed like, 75 kilometers per hour. Zoe watched as the back of a passing lorry got closer with each passing second and closed her eyes, bracing for the collision. A minute later, she opened them again. They were driving down a country road and Zoe gasped.

"What happened? Werent we in London just a second ago?" She asked.

"Yeah. This car's enchanted," Mundungus muttered, leaving it at that. "Its too complicated to explain."

Zoe didn't say anything and dropped the subject. She turned and stared out the window. Ten minutes later, the car jumped to somewhere else and Zoe recognized the road that eventually led to McKenna Manor.

"We are getting close. Im surprised that you've found the way this far. I only told you the directions once." She said after a little bit.

"I have a very good memory," Remus replied from the front seat. "Sometimes it is not always a good thing."

Zoe did not respond. Her stomach felt like it was filled with butterflies. She was nervous about going home. Her parents would be furious. Most likely, the phrase 'The neighbors think…' would be brought into the conversation more than once. And despite how much she apologized, it would all culminate in her being beaten at the end.

Finally the car turned onto the path that led to McKenna manor. "Stop here," she called out.

Mundungus put the car into neutral and twisted around in the seat. "Don't cha want me to take ya further?"

"No," she replied firmly. "If my parents see you, any of you, with me, it will only make things worse." She pushed open the door of the car and got out. Remus followed her and they stopped ten feet away from the car. He looked around distractedly, more than slightly bothered. His brow furrowed. "I will miss you, Remus. The last week and a half has been life-changing. And not entirely in a bad way." She smiled and looked down at the ground, refusing to shed a tear. By walking down the path to her home, she was turning her back onto the wizarding world forever.

"I feel sure that we will meet again in the future." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a tiny golden mirror, much like the one that he wore under his robes. He handed it to her, and when she turned it over she could see that it had a intricate phoenix carved on the back. She looked up. "If you ever need me, simply look into this and say 'Remus Lupin.' Rest assured that if you are ever in trouble, I will come." His voice suddenly became as hoarse as it had been the day that she had first met him. "Thank you for…everything. I will never forget you." She took a deep breath, looked once more at him and then started down the path.

When she reached the manor and slid in through the door that had been, in past days, the servant's entrance. She walked up the small, winding stairs, through the hidden door and into the entrance hall. She started to tiptoe towards her room, which was on the second floor, hoping that perhaps her parents wouldn't notice she was home. That would give her at least a few minutes. Her plans were foiled when she reached the kitchen. Her mother was sitting at the table, holding a mug of tea. When she saw her daughter, she let out a shriek so terrible that for a moment Zoe thought that a banshee had found its way into the home.

"Yoouuu," she cried. "What are you doing here? We thought that you had run away for good. The neighbors all think that you have. We'd be well rid of you."

She continued on in this vein for sometime until finally she screeched "Alexander" at the top of her lungs. A few moments later, Zoe heard heavy footsteps coming down the stairs. The steps stopped and she could hear the entrance hall closet door open and then slam with a shut. Her father walked into the kitchen.

"Girl," he said, his voice quiet but dangerous. Zoe was scared out of her wits. In his hand, he held the cane that he usually used when he went to London. It was made of strong oak and its handle was capped in silver. The light of the kitchen reflected off the silver and Zoe felt sick just looking at it. Her father surveyed her for a moment, looking her up and down. He sniffed the air, his eyes narrowed and he frowned. He walked behind Zoe and stood in front of her. "I will handle this Fiona." He headed towards Zoe's room. "Come, girl. Your little escapade will not go unpunished."

Zoe shot a glance towards the front door. It was, perhaps, one hundred yards. She could make it if she tried.

_Yeah right _she told herself. She slowly followed her father and her mother shot her a look of disgust. Her bedroom was on the other side of the house. Her parents liked to have her as far away from them as possible. It was fine with her. She hated them almost as much as they hated her. She went up a small flight of stairs. When she reached her bedroom she got down onto her knees and gripped the bed her hands. Her father stepped in back of her.

"12 days you were gone. One for each day."

There was a pause and for a moment, Zoe thought he might be having second doubts. Big Mistake. The first blow came hard and fast. She could feel where the cane had hit, where the silver ended and met the wood. The blow would have been manageable except for the fact that a bit of the silver managed to touch her skin through a rip in her shirt. She screamed as it burned her skin. Her knuckles turned white as she gripped the bedsheet. There was another pause and then the second blow. Again the cane smacked up against her, sending a waves of pain rippling across her body.

_This is almost as bad as being bitten by a werewolf was._

The following ten lashes were beyond horrible. The third, fourth, seventh, ninth and twelth blows all connected with the skin, burning it and making her sob for mercy. Still, her father did not give in. By the time the beatings were finished, Zoe had been reduced to a sobbing mass on the floor. Her father left the room and Zoe slammed the door shut after him. Slowly but surely, the pain began to recede. She struggled to her feet and her temper began to kick in.

Anger such as she had never known before surged through her.

_That's it! Ive had enough. Its time to get out of here. _

She quickly took stock of her room. She did not have many possessions, most of what she had were books and those could be easily left behind. She dropped to her stomach, dug under her bed and found a medium sized canvas bag. As fast as she could, she stuffed some clothes, a blanket, her life's savings (Which, after 13 years, had reached a grand total of thirteen pounds fifty.) and a jacket. She could hear her parents in the kitchen, talking to each other.

_That takes out one option. _

She bit her lip and looked around. Then grinned. Her room had one window, large enough for her to slide through, which opened onto a overhang of roof. She walked over to it, undid the lock and opened the window. A surge of fear rushed through her heart as she could hear footsteps coming down the hall. She threw her bag out onto the roof and crawled head-first through the window. Next thing she knew, she was on the roof. She hooked the strap of her bag with her foot and pulled it towards her. The door to her bedroom opened and she could hear her father calling her name. Zoe panicked and tried to move along the wall of the house towards an area where the roof wasn't as high. Her feet slipped along the tiles of the roof.

Her father stuck his head out the window, the expression on his face one of pure hatred. "Werewolf," he growled. He stuck a hand out the window. In it was grasped a long, thin, stick. A wand.

Zoe paled and her grip on the wall slackened. Her father smirked and started to climb out the window.

"Bloody hell," she muttered and let go of the wall entirely. She landed on her butt and slid down the roof. Abandoning all caution, she put her hands down on the roof edge and pushed. She was flying through mid-air…and then she was falling. She hit the ground roughly, let out a cry of pain and then got to her feet. Her father flung out his wand and yelled something. A beam of red light shot out towards her. She screamed and ran towards the woods as fast as she could, bag swinging against her leg.

**VII**

Remus took one last glance back at Zoe and walked back towards Mundungus. As he did, he paused at the entrance to the path where the air was heavier. Unable to see anything visibly suspicious, he decided to try something. Standing just beyond the entrance, he concentrated hard and thought 'Diagon Alley,' but nothing happened. Realization shot through his mind but…no, it couldn't be.

_How could an anti-apparation ward be here? It would mean that either a wizard was here or..._

Remus darted back to the car and flung open the door. "Mundungus, I am going to apparate back. Thanks for the ride." He shut the door quickly, leaving no time for Mundungus to answer. He rushed down the road a few steps, and apparated.

A few seconds later, Remus apparated onto a steeet near enough to Grimmauld Place that he could walk the distance in five minutes. As he walked, he thought about what he had just experienced. It didn't make sense that there would be wards around a muggle house. It was probably best if he talked to Dumbledore.

Five minutes later, Remus strode up the steps of twelve Grimmauld Place. He took out his wand and silently cast the spell to unlock the door. He walked inside and turned into the basement kitchen. He could hear Sirius coming down the stairs but ignored him. He pulled out his mirror.

"Albus Dumbledore."

Immediately Dumbledore's face appeared. Remus spared no time telling Dumbledore what he had felt.

"When I dropped Zoe off, there were anti-apparation wards around her house. Have you ever heard of an Alexander McKenna?"

Dumbledore froze. "Yes, he was a part of the Department for Care and Control of Magical Creatures. I recall that he was the Werewolf Capture Unit's most prized hunter. Killed over a dozen unregistered werewolves while he was there. I remember trying to get him arrested, to no avail."

"Was? You speak of him in the past tense."

"He retired right before Voldemort was defeated. Of course, McKenna was a death eater and it is highly plausible that he might have been killed on Voldemort's orders."

Remus sighed. "Alexander McKenna is Zoe's father. She has spoken of him before but I never suspected that he was a wizard until today."

"Neither did I. That would mean that Connor McKenna is her brother. I remember making him a prefect. He was Slytherin, of course."

"Dumbledore, if we sent Zoe home to her father…" he trailed off, looking horrified.

"We must act quickly. McKenna will not miss the signs. Take her to headquarters."

Remus nodded and tapped the mirror with his wand. Sirius walked into the kitchen.

"What was..." he started to say but was cut off as Remus ran out the door.


	5. Number Twelve Grimmauld Place

VIII

Zoe ran for what, to her, seemed like hours. Though, in reality, she supposed it had been less than an hour. She ran until her legs gave out and she came crashing to the ground. Her pack fell beside her and she heard the glass jar, which had contained her money, break. She lay on the ground, panting hard and shivering. The sun had begun to set and she stared at the gold and pink sky above.

"So beautiful," she whispered. A sound nearby caused her to sit up immediately. She frowned, her senses heightened and on alert. Her legs still useless, she scooted over and propped herself up against a nearby tree. All that had happened kept running through her mind: the look in her father's eyes, what he had yelled, the fact that he had pulled out a wand. "How could I have not known?" She said this aloud, not bothering to keep her voice down. Zoe picked up her pack and set it on her lap, digging through it to find the jacket she had packed. As she pulled it on, she felt something dig into the side of her leg. She reached into her pocket and pulled out the small mirror Remus had given her.

"Use it if you ever need me. Simply say my name and I will see you," he had said.

Zoe hesitated, looking into the mirror and thinking. What if she contacted Remus and he didn't believe her that her father had a wand?

_He will come _a voice, said inside of her head told her.

"Remus Lupin," she said clearly to the mirror. For a moment, nothing happened then the surface of the mirror turned grey and Remus's face appeared. He looked both relieved and worried. "Remus, my father knows," she said quickly before he had a chance to speak.

"What do you mean?" His face became unreadable.

"I ran away, Remus. He hit me. I was going through the window and he yelled 'werewolf'. And he had a wand, Remus. He cast a spell but it didn't hit me. How did he know?"

"I will explain later. I am coming to get you so stay where you are...where are you by the way?" He looked incredibly concerned.

"Im somewhere near the castle ruins. I cant see them from where I am, but there is a clearing. You should be able to find it."

"Ill be there as soon as I can." Remus's image started to bob up and down, and it appeared that he was walking.

"Thank you, Remus," she muttered as the mirror went blank. She touched the surface and then stuck the mirror back into her pocket.

Remus confused her. She couldn't understand how someone would drop everything to come rescue her. How someone she had known for less than two weeks had shown more concern for her and was closer to her than anyone else. In fact, if she had not known better, she would have thought that maybe she was smitten with the man.

_He's twice your age, Zoe _she reminded herself, but she smiled anyways.

The sky overhead had darkened to black but Zoe could still see her hands when she held them out in front of her. She marveled over this new aspect of lycanthropy for quite a while. Suddenly, after an hour of waiting, she heard a crackling of twigs from somewhere nearby. A faint glow was coming nearer. "Remus?" she called, praying that it was indeed him and not her father.

There was no answer, but a few minutes later, Remus burst from the treeline. His lit wand was held out in front of him, and a pair of broomsticks were strapped to his back. He rushed towards her and reached towards her shoulder, than appeared to think better of it and pulled his arm back. "Are you alright?"

"I think so." She turned to face him squarely, determined not to let him see her back. "Thank you so much for coming. I had worried that my father was coming." She shuddered.

"I have to talk to you about him. But now is neither the time or place. First, I need you to talk to a friend of mine." He reached into his robes and pulled out a mirror similar to the one he had given Zoe. "Albus Dumbledore," he muttered. After a few moments he handed the mirror to Zoe and she saw the face of an old man in the mirror.

The man had a long white beard, light blue eyes and was wearing half moon spectacles. "Ah, Miss McKenna" he said. "I was wondering when I would get to meet you."

"Sir," she said, not knowing how to answer this greeting.

"I had hoped that when we met, I would have the chance to talk to you. But I fear that I do not have the time. Please repeat after me: The Headquarters of the order of the Phoenix is located at twelve Grimmauld Place, London."

Zoe did so and the man seemed content. His face disappeared from the mirror's surface and Zoe returned it to Remus. He placed it inside his robes and then released the broomsticks from his back.

"We are going to have to fly to London. It should only take an hour or two." He had already hopped onto his own broom and was now hovering a few feet above the ground.

Zoe was apprehensive and felt a bit sick. She had always been afraid of heights. But, the broomstick would take her to safety, far away from her home and her parents. She twisted the strings of her bag around her wrist and gripped the handle of the broom. She swung a leg over and then paused, unsure of what to do next. Remus saw this and smiled slightly.

"Kick off from the ground. Not to hard or you'll get off to a shooting start." He landed on the ground and then kicked off again.

"Right. Now, I just hold on tight and I wont fall off?" she asked as she mimicked Remus' movements.

"That's the idea. If you feel like you are going to fall, just shout and I will come and get you," he said, rising higher. "We should go now."

Zoe took a deep breath and steered the broom higher so that she was following Remus towards the stars.

An hour and a half, they landed on a deserted street in, what Zoe assumed, was the trashy end of London. The houses were dilapidated, not to mention that number twelve seemed to have been misplaced. Zoe tore her frozen hands from the broom and winced. Flying had been fun, but very, very cold. She shivered violently as she followed Remus down the street and towards number eleven.

"Zoe, I want you to think about what Dumbledore made you repeat," he said, not looking at her but watching the space between eleven and thirteen.

"You mean about number twelve Grimmauld Place?" The memory of the conversation echoed through her mind. "What's the Order of the…"

"Shh. Do not talk about that here. Just think about what he told you," Remus interrupted.

"Fine," she snapped back. She shifted her gaze from Remus back to the houses. Though it seemed as if something had changed, as if a house had been added. She stepped forward, squinting. "Remus, is it just me or has number twelve just appeared out of nowhere."

"It's just you," he muttered, placing a hand on her back and pushing her towards the house. They walked up the uneven steps and Remus drew his wand. "Alohomora," he said firmly, and Zoe could hear the sound of dozens of locks clicking open. Remus opened the door and pushed her in. The hallway was dark, but was lit quickly after Remus closed the door. He walked down the hallway, lighting the gas lamps one by one.

"Do you live here?" Zoe asked as she looked around. She didn't like the feel of the house.

"Most of the time," he whispered. "You should lower your voice some or the portraits will wake up."

Zoe found this statement odd but did not question it. Remus strolled over to a nearby door, opened it a crack and peered in. After a few seconds, he returned to Zoe.

"There is a meeting going on at the moment, but I will get away as soon as I can to bring you some dinner. I'll take you to your room." He beckoned with his hand and walked up the stairs. He paused on the third floor landing and opened the door on the right, lighting a lamp just inside the room. "This will do for the time being. I'd advise you not to touch anything in the cabinets, as I am not entirely sure that they wont bite. My room is just across the way." He pointed to the door on the other side of the landing.

Zoe walked into the room and looked around. Dust covered cabinets were positioned on three of the walls. A small wardrobe and a bed occupied the fourth. She strolled over to the bed and sat down. "It will do nicely." She smiled slightly. "Thank you for taking me away," she muttered quietly. "How can I ever repay you?"

Remus did not answer this question but instead replied with a quiet, "I will see you soon." He closed the door and Zoe could hear his retreating footsteps.


End file.
